u^^^ 

^^^ 







Entered according to Act of Congress, m'the year 1873, by George L. Catlin, 
in the Office of the Librarian (.f Congress, at Washington. 



( 



Etac 



JfAY 



mm 

The New and Popular Direct Route 

"^^ To the Lakes and the St. Lawrence. 

TWO THROUGH EXPRESS TRAINS DAILY. 



NEW JERSEYJDIVISION. 

Rates of Local, Excursion and Commutation Tickets, 
taking effect May ist, 1873, between New York or Jersey 
City and the following Stations. 



STATIONS. 



NEW DURHAM 

GRANTON ....* 

LITTLE FERRY 

RIDGEFIELD PARK 

BOGOTA 

HACKENSACK 

MAY WOOD 

ROCHELLE PARK 

DUNDEE 

PATERSON 

river:?ide 

HAWTHORNE 

VAN WINKLES 

MIDLAND PARK 

WORTENDYKE 

WVCKOFF ... 

CAMPGAW 

CRYSTAL LAKE 

OAKLAND 

POMPTON 

BLOoMlNGDALE 

WEST BLOOMINGDALE.. 

SMITHS MILLS 

CHARLOTTEBURGH 

NEWFOUNDLAND 

OAK HILL 

STOCKHOLM 

OGDENSBURGH 

FRANKLIN 

HAMBURGH 

DECKERTOWN 

UNIONVILLE 

MIDDLETOVVN 



$1. 



$1. 






$11. 



"1 c 
S 



$40. 
41. 
42. 
43 
43- 
43- 
43- 
44- 
44- 
45- 
45- 
46. 

47' 
47- 
47- 
48. 

49- 
5I-' 
5'- 
53- 
56. 
57- 
59- 
61. 

63- 
67 
69. 
72. 
74- 
80 
83 
84. 
86. 



^ o 



$60 . 00 
62 50 
63.00 
63.00 
63.00 
63.00 
63-50 
64.00 

64i'5 
65 .00 
66.25 
67-50 
63 . 50 
69 00 
71 .00 
75i 72-25 

DOi 76.00 
25: 78.50 
75! 81.50 
83.25 
90-75 
95-00 
98.50 
04.50 
50I109.25 
18.75 
23.00 



1133.00 
I 50 . 00 

1 



?4-co 
57.00 
160.00; 



Local and Excursion Tickets sold at Depot offices. Passenger Depots, foot 
of Courtlandt and Desbrosses Streets, New York, and at Jersey City, 

Commutation Tickets sold only at the Treasurer's Office, m Liberty Street, 
New York— dating from the ist day of the month in which they are issued. 

WM. H. WEED, Gon'l Ticket Agent, 



A GLANCE 



AT 



RIDGEFIELD PARK, 

N. J., 

Its ^;vst, !^ resent imtr Jfiituve. 



A Description of the tract bounded by the Hackensack 
AND Overpeck Rivers ; its points of Historical interest ; 

ITS recent improvements ; ITS NATURAL ADVANTAGES, 
AND ITS AVAILABILITY AS A 

8l]Ti WQR SUBlfRiA.N) VBLL^. BiSI]©M©iS» 



^^ Si })eninsidavi qiioeris circiimspice'' 

BY GEORGE L. CATLIN. ' ^ 

(An edition of 2000 copies of this work is published for gratuitous circulation 

in New York, and along the line of Midland Railroad, between Jersey 

City and Faterscn.) 

NEW YORK. - 
1873- 



^^ilitfitll Pirl 




(SEE PAGE 13,) 



A. BROWNSON, Proprietor. 



Will be ojjen May Ist^ 187 J^^ for summer visitors 



SEASON OF 1874 



The unparalleled success attending the past^season at this 
newly opened summer resort, gives promise of one even more 



brilliant during the coming year. 



(For complete description of the house and its conveniences see page 12.) 



^\.^^ 





" Ridgefield Park ! where is 
it ? ■' asks the reader, catching 
sight of the cover of this Httle 
book, and undecided whether he 
will investigate the matter further 
or not. " Ridgefield Park ? Let's 
see. There are Lewellyn Park, 
Menio Park, Rutherford Park, 
Midland Park, Fanwood Park, 

Central Park, yes, and Mungo Park, but," (and it aways 

comes around again to the query) 



6 A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 

"RIDGEFIELD PARK. WHERE IS IT?" 

Only ten miles from the City Hall, and you can safely in- 
vest a fifty on reaching there, say from Trinity Church, sooner 
than, by ordinary conveyance, Twenty Third Street. Try it 
some day. Inveigle your young friend Jones into a playful 
bet that he can take a stage at the corner of Wall and Broad- 
way, and be up at Madison Square before you are out at 
Ridgefield Park, ten miles away. Jones will lose fifty dollars. 
For you have only to step down to the foot of Courtlandt 
Street, or, if you are further up town, Desbrosses Street, cross 
to Jersey City, take a seat in one of the spacious and elegant 
Midland Railway coaches, and in thirty minutes find your- 
self at the Ridgefield Park depot. These thirty minutes 
have been passed in a most enjoyable ride too. After pass- 
ing Bergen Cut and West End, the Midland skirts the west- 
ern slope of the Palisades to a point about on a line with 
Bull's Ferry, then shoots off north westward, crosses the Over- 
peck River, or English Creek, and brings you to your des- 
tination. 

Now, if the reader will turn to the map he will be enabled 
thereon more definitely to follow the route above traced out, 
and will more clearly understand the topography of this 
locality. He will discover that Ridgefield Park comprises 
the wooded point or neck of upland known as Teaneck 
Ridge, formed by the confluence of the Hackensack and 
Overpeck Rivers; that recherche Englewood on one side, 
aid venerable Hackensack on the other, are bu": little over 
a mile distant ; that the recently completed portion of the 
Jersey City and Albany railroad here diverges from the Mid- 
land, and, running northward, traverses the western border 
of the ridge ; that Ridgefield station on the Northern Rail- 
road (running to Chambers and Twenty Third Streets), is 



A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 7 

only a mile and a half away ; that the Midland depot is in 
the Park itself ; in short, that Ridgefield Park is the very 
center of a villa tract teeming with railroad faciUties and 
possessing natural advantages and surroundings, which can 
unquestionably render it one of New York's most attractive 
suburbs. 

So, the whereabouts of Ridgefield Park, and the means of 
reaching it having been duly impressed upon the reader's mind, 
let us rest here for a few moments under the grand old 
forest trees which discriminating taste has spared to beautify 
the slopes and lawns adjacent to the depot. The Hacken- 
sack flows almost at our feet, and across its silvery current 
we gain glimpses of a charming rural vista. Not always, 
remember, has this quiet spot been so oft awakened with the 
shrill whistle of the locomotive ; not always has the footstep 
of the New Yorker, going to and from his daily business, 
trodden its grassy paths ; not always has the sound of the 
axe and hammer, or the click of the instrument in yonder 
telegraph office been heard here in its sylvan shades. Yet, 
though only recently aroused to the march of progress, this 
locahty has an interesting history of its own, coeval with the 
settlement of Manhattan by the Dutch traders, many of 
whose names and descendants are to be found among its 
residents of to-day. Here, too, in the campaign of Wash- 
ington in Northern New Jersey, were laid the scenes of many 
interesting episodes, which, though of minor importance in 
the great history of the struggle, yet possess such local 
moment as to render them favorite subjects of recital to the 
inhabitants of the present time. 

"In every direction," writes the Rev. Mr. Taylor, Pastor 
of the Reformed Church of English Neighborhood or Ridge- 
field, '-the eye of the inteUigent beholder may rest on 
localities sacred with memories of Revolutionary days. Here 



5 A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 

'the late centenarian, Derrick Paulison, was wont to tell us 
he saw the British drive off his father's cattle ; there the late 
aged Mrs. Banta saw carried a British sentry shot down by 
some stealthful patriot ; and there in the front of her late 
dwelling, yet standing, she saw Washington drill his troops. 
Almost within sight are several houses traditionally pointed 
out as having been either his headquarters or his resting 
place for a night or more, and in full view is the ' belt of 
rocky and wooded heights which borders the Hudson,' over 
which 'Light Horse Harry' led his daring companions in 
their night assault on Paulus Hook. The biographer of 
Washington remarks ' He achieved his object, a coup de 
main of signal audacity.' He made an hundred prisoners. 
among whom were three officers." 

But, however interesting these traditions and memories, it 
is with the matters of to-day that the practical visitor to 
Ridgefield Park will undoubtedly prefer to engage himself. 
The first question which he will propound is — 

" Is IT Healthful ?" The gradual slope of the land 
for 125 feet towards the river on either side ensures a perfect 
drainage, and give a sure guarantee of healthfulness. But 
the best authority is the testimony given by those who have 
dwelt here for a lifetime, or a long period of years. And, 
apropos of this topic, the Rev. Mr, Taylor, previously 
quoted, contributes from his own experience the following 
interesting facts : 

" It has been for many years looked upon even by disin- 
terested individuals as decidedly the most desirable location 
or rural homes which New Jersey has yet offered to the 
crowded population of our great metropoHs. I am confident 
that when its superior advantages are fully made known, that 
it will successfully compete with other rival points of interest. 
As we have looked upon it from our neighboring home, we 



A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 




I'O A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 

have almost involuntarily exclaimed in the classic motto of 
the Peninsular State of the North-west, ' If you wish to see 
a delightful Peninsula, look around you.' On the west, 
south and east it is bounded by streams never stagnant nor 
sluggish, navigable at all seasons of the year for such vessels 
as are needed for pleasure or freight, affording also to the 
weary business man ample recreation in bathing, boating, 
hshing and fowHng. 

" The site of Ridgefield Park and its adjoining countr}'' is 
exceedingly free from all low malarious spots. It rises from 
its several water fronts gradually and beautifully to a most 
desirable elevation, forming one of the most perfect 
water sheds imaginable. The soil is exceedingly fertile, hav- 
ing been for more than a century under the highest cultiva- 
tion. It abounds with springs of water, cool, sweet and 
pure, while the salubrity of the atmosphere is well established. 
We have been personally acquaitited with 7nany individuals, 
native born, whose years had reached the allotted three score 
and ten ; 7iot a feiv who had gone beyond it, and several nvho 
had almost reached the rare age of one hundred, and who 
could look upon the fifth generation of their descendants^ 

Is THE Property Improved? inquires the prospective 
purchaser. 

Certainly it is. Not after the manner of your professional 
speculator in real estate, who, acquiring possession of some 
out of the way tract of land, no matter where, puts a sur- 
veyor on the ground, ploughs up three or four so called 
avenues in one direction, and half a dozen streets at right 
angles to them, dignifies them on his map by ^such high 
sounding titles as Forest Avenue or Park Street, and then 
straightway announces a " Grand Auction Sale of valuable 
Suburban property." The people, the band and the auction- 
■eer suddenly invade the soHtudes some fine morning; but 



A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. II 

alas, the visitors after looking in vain through swamp and 
thicket for the stately avenues and attractive vilk sites which 
the maps had promised, take revenge by eating up all the 
refreshments, and then go away dissatisfied. 

Ridgefield Park, it may be stated in the first place, needs 
^o such humbug and deception to bring it into popularity or 
commend its advantages and attractions to the attention of 
the thoughtful and observant purchaser. The eye of even 
the most careless passer by is arrested by its natural beauties, 
and his lips involunarily exclaim " What a pleasant place for 
a residence." And it is upon such intrinsic claims as these 
that the availabiHty of Ridgefield Park as a place of suburban 
residence is based. 

The property comprises some three hundred acres lying 
principally along the summit of the Ridge, and extending 
down on the one side to the Hackensack River, on the other 
to Overpeck Avenue, running parallel to the river by the 
same name. It seems to have been originally a portion of a 
grant made some time prior to 1669 to one Wm. Pardons, 
and it would be interesting here, did time and space permit, 
to trace its line of ownership down to the year 1870, when it 
came by purchase into the possession of its present proprietor 
At that time its nearest point of connection for New York 
was Ridgefield Depot on the Northern Railroad about two 
miles distant. But two years later came the Midland, with 
its increased faciUties, and its depot and telegraph office 
within ten minutes walk of any part of the property. 

The Bergen macadam road, passing within a short distance 
of the Park, runs direct to Hoboken. On either slope of the 
ridge, long established thoroughfares, the Tea-neck Public 
Road on the west, and the old Hackensack Public Road on 
the east, intersect the Park, and aff"ord communication in 
both directions with points beyond. Parallel or at right 



12 A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 

angles to these, other streets and avenues have been laid out, 
among them -one, called Central Avenue, an hundred feet 
wide, extending along the summit of the ridge, and com- 
manding a superb view on both sides. Fronting upon the 
street leading to the depot, and on the beautiful slope over- 
looking the Hackensack, stands the Ridgefield Park HoteU. 
an elegant structure, supplied with every modern convenience, 
and accommodating an hundred and fifty guests. The 
grounds about it are attractively laid out with flowers and 
shrubbery, while the shady grove adjoining them affords a 
charming sylvan resort for a summer's afternoon. The view 
from the hotel, as indeed from any point on or near the sum- 
mit of the ridge, embraces an astonishing variety and scope. 
Looking east one sees the Overpeck Valley, and at its 
further verge the western slope of the Palisades, dotted with 
villages and villa residences from Bergen to Nyack. To the 
southeast the eye follows the winding course of the Hacken- 
sack, and turning around to the west the observer descries 
Newark, the Orange Mountains, Rutherford Park and Pater- 
son, with Garret Rock frowning like a grim sentinel above 
It. Clothed in the purple hues of a summer sunset this view 
equals in loveliness many of the soft landscape scenes of 
southern Italy. 

Several handsome villa residences have been erected at 
the^ Park, and are occupied by New York business men. The 
entire property is imperatively restricted against nuisances. 
No land will be sold except to purchasers who contemplate 
the erection of first-class residences, it being the intention of 
the owner of the property to render Ridgefield Park a village 
of villas where people of refined and cultivated tastes may 
reside, enjoying an immunity from the many annoyances 
and nuisances incident to Hfe in most suburban villages. 
The drinking water is plentiful and pure, the property^ 



A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 



13 




14 A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 

abounding in springs, from one of which water is pumped up 
in pipes to a reservoir which supplies the Hotel. The ad- 
jacent waters of the Hackensack afford fine facilities for 
boating, fishing and bathing. Should you wish to communi- 
cate with your friends elsewhere there is a Post Ofiice, or, 
for more urgent need a telegraph office at the depot. In 
short, you are surrounded with nearly all the conveniences 
of city life in addition to other advantages in the way of 
healthfulness and comfort, which city-folk never dream of. 

With such advantages, and under such influences as these, 
the future of Ridgefield Park is not difficult to foretell. In- 
deed it requires no great stretch of the imagination to picture 
this beautiful wooded ridge, ere many years have passed^ 
thickly dotted with elegant villas and inhabited by a commu- 
nity exclusively composed of the wealthy and cultivated. In 
the great suburban New Jersey city, which ere )ong is des- 
tined to enfold in one mammoth corporation all the populous 
region, extending from the Hudson River to the Orange 
Mountains, and from Paterson to Elizabeth, may it not be 
justly expected that this beautiful ridge, adorned by nature 
with all the charms which could render it attractive as the 
home of man, and enriched and beautified by all the im- 
provements that modern civilization can suggest, will be 
known and recognized as the garden spot of New Jersey, and 
as offering above all others claims for Convenience, Health- 
fulness AND beauty. 



A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. ■ 1 5 

BANTA BROS. 



DEALERS IN 



CHOICE TEAS, COFFEES, 

WIHES, SEGAES, 
FcLiTLzly G-roceries, 

AND 

CANNED GOODS OF ALL KINDS 

ALSO, A COMPLE'J'E ASSORTMENT OF 

PAINTS, OILS, VARNISH, GLASS AND BRUSHES, 

We receive the celebrated brands of AKRON FLOUK 
direct from the mills, sell them at LESS than New York 
rates, and WARRANT every barrel. 

Our stock throughout will be found to be the VERY 
BEST, and our prices almost invaribly lowest. 

We request an examination. 

Cor. Main and Bridge Streets, 
HAGKENSAGK, N. J. 



Fine Butter, Teas and Coffees Specialties, 



^^ • A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 

S. D. BETTS, 



DEALER IN 



loiii f iiililli 

GOODS, 
Fire-Place Heaters, 

Ranges, Stoves, &c. 



fllACES, PLIMBING AND ROOFING 

A SPECIALTY. 



COR. MAIN AND BERGEN STS., 



A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. I 7 

BALDWIN, 

MAIN STREET, 

HACKENSACK, N. J. 

(One door above Odd Fellows Hall.) 

ALL THE LATEST STYLES OF 

Soft and Stiff Fur and Wool 

HATS 

CONSTANTLY ON HAND. 

Made to order and warranted to fit, at prices 25 per cent, 
cheaper than New York. 



^^ ^ GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 



JACOB KINGSLAND, 

Cirpiitsf I iilliii 



34 DIVISION STREET 



Residence, 107 Broadway. PATERSON N. J, 



Plans and Estimates 

FURNISHED AT SHORT NOTICE. 



First-Class Work by Firsl-Class Workmen. 

SATISFACTION GnARANTEED IN EVERY CASE. 



IRON AND STEEL. 



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MECHANICS' TOOLS 



A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 



21 






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o-^i? 



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22 



A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 




THIS COMPANY IS PREPARED TO FURNISH 

MAFSofmiDSdEiiLEM, 

(See page i) 

CUTS OF HOTELS, DWELLINGS, Etc. 



(See pa^e 13) 

ENGRAVINGS OF LANDSCAPE SCENERY. 

(See pag^es 5 and 9) 

BILL OR LETTER HEADS. 

(See above) 

Relief Plates for Newspaper, Book and Catalogue Illustrations, 

AND 

ENGRAVING WORK IN GENERAL, 

at prices which average about 

ONE-HALF OF BATES CHARGED FOR WOOD CUTS. 

Their work is engraved in very hard Type Metal, by a new chemical 
process direct from all kinds of Prints, Pen and-Ink Di-awlngs.oTiginfl de- 
signs, Photographs, &c. This process is in many respects vastly superior to 
wood engraving. The plates have a printing surface as smooth as glass, and 
ttie lines are deeper than those of hand-cut engravings. We guarantee all our 
plates to print absolutely clean and sharp on either wet or dry paper, and on 
any kind of press where type or wood cuts can be printed. The attention of 
manufacturers proposing to issue Illustrated Catalogues is particularly invited. 

L. SMITH HOBART, Pres't. J. C. MOSS, Sup't. 

D. I. CARSON, Gen'l A^ent. 



A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 23 

T. C. SUTTON, 

RETAIL DEALEE IN 

Dry Goods 



WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALEE IN 




DRESS MAKING 

IN ALL ITS BRANCHES. 



yaiai: 



172 & 192 Main St. 

PATERSON, N. J. 



^4 A GLANCE AT RIDGEFIELD PARK. 

DIREOTOEY TO ADVERTISEMENTS. 

Teas, Coffees and Groceries. 

^^^^^^^os p^g^ j^ 

stoves, Furnaces and House Furnishing Goods. 

S. D. Betts . 

1 6 

Hats and Caps. 
Baldwin the Hatter 

Carpenter and Builder. 
Jacob Kingsland jg 



Builders' Hardware. 

J. A. Van Winkle 



Dry Goods and Carpets, 
T. C. Sutton 



19 



Tobacco, Snuffs and Segars. 

Allen & Dunning 20 

Fall and Winter Dry Goods. 

Hewson's Emporium 



21 



Engraving, 
Photo-Engraving Co 22 



23 



ELIGIBLE PLOTS 



-OR 



AT- 



RiDGEFIELD PARK 

I BY APPLYING 

ON THE PREMISES. 

1 

Post Office Address, 

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N. J. 






LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




014 208 794 7 



